IT’S perhaps the best flying job in the world.

But for the members of the RAF’s world-famous aerobatic display team, the Red Arrows, the pleasure of having a bird’s eye few on some of the world’s greatest events is unfortunately a limited one.

It takes years of dedication and service in the Royal Air Force before a pilot can even apply to join the Red Arrows and then when they finally get in, their time with the team lasts just three years before they have to return to frontline, instructional or staff duties.

For Flight Lieutenant Emmet Cox, that will be next year.

He says: “In my first year, it was just a case of carrying out formal flying tests and getting to know the rest of the team.

“Last year, I just couldn’t wait to get in that red jet and when it finally happened it was the most rewarding experience.”

Emmet, 36, was born and brought up in Auckland, New Zealand. There he studied at the city’s university, graduating in 2000 with a degree in computer science.

Back then, he got his adrenalin fix snowboarding, completing seasons in Japan and the USA, and after joining the RAF in 2002 he continued to snowboard, representing the service at the British Championships.

But flying planes was always Emmet’s true love despite the fact he only started when he joined the RAF.

“I hadn’t flown anything until I joined up,” he admits. “But I was always fascinated with flying.

"My grandfather was an RAF pilot during the war fighting the Japanese and more recently my uncle was a commercial pilot.”

After joining the RAF, Emmet eventually found himself with the historic 617 “Dambusters”

Squadron, flying missions with them over Iraq as part of Operation Telic, before becoming a qualified flying instructor in 2010.

To apply for selection to the Red Arrows, pilots must have at least 1,500 fast jet flying hours, have completed a frontline tour, and be assessed as above average in their flying role.

A shortlist of nine applicants is examined during a thorough selection week each year, with two or three newpilots chosen to replace those who will finish their tour at the end of the season.

With a trademark combination of close formations and precision flying, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, has been together since 1965.

One of the premier aerobatic teams in the world, they are the public face of the Royal Air Force and are made up of 120 people, including pilots, engineers and essential support staff.

Based at RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire, the team, which has flown more than 4,500 displays and celebrated its 50th season last year, has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious events, including the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony and, most recently, the commemorations of the end of the Second World War in Europe and in Japan.

“I just love the pure flying aspect of it,” Emmet says.

“There’s no auto-pilot to help you out and you’re just relying on hand-to-eye co-ordination.

“When you’re in the air, you don’t really get time to think about how incredible it all is. That goes out of the window. You just focus on the next manoeuvre.

“Only when you get back on the ground, can you reflect on what you’ve just done.

“That said, there is something rather special about a Royal flypast going down Horse Guards Parade with the Shard to our left and St Paul’s to the right. It is hard not to get buzz from that.”